1.Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shower door frame assembly for use with shower stalls, bathing enclosures, saunas and the like. More particularly, it relates to an assembly on which to mount bathroom accessories.
2. Background of the Invention
A bather often desires convenient access to bathing supplies such as soap, shampoos, washcloths, towels and shaving equipment. Leaving such items on the floor or on ledges risks that they will be broken. Permanent built-in holders are possible, but inflexible; new owners may desire different accessories or different placements. Systems that attach accessories to bathroom walls on a temporary basis have been tried (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,867). However, these require unnecessarily expensive holders and fasteners.
Bathing areas constructed of tile or single piece plastic shells resist the use of conventional fastening methods. Thus, the art has usually resorted to hanging bathroom accessories by means of hooks or loops over preexisting structures in the bathing area such as the extension pipe for the shower nozzle or the shower curtain rod or the header frame of a shower door. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,557, 4,398,309 and 4,759,091.
Unfortunately, accessories attached by such hooks and loops can be unstable and may tip or rock when bumped causing spillage and breakage. Therefore, additional stabilizing supports, such as suction cups, are used. Also, the nature of these attachment methods is often aesthetically displeasing.
Thus, it can be seen that a need exists for an improved system for securely mounting bathroom accessories.